Starting apparatus for use with internal-combustion engines and other purposes



A. I.- ODIER.

STARTING APPARATUS FOR USE INITH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES AND OTHER PURPOSES. 4 APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, I918.

1,35 99; PqtentedAug. 31,1920.

Fig. 1

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

,. is INIIIIENTOR A. ODIER.

STARTING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES AND OTHER PURPOSES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1918.

1 3 5 1 3 99 Patented Aug. 31, 1 920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR *fifi/ e A ATTORNEY.

To all whom it may concern:

ATENT Amomn Isinonn 0131133, or PUTEAUX, rRAricE.

STARTING APrARATUs r03 Usn wrrrr INTERNAL-COMBUSTION Ensinns AND OTHER runrosns.

Be it knownthat I, ANTOINE Isrnonn ODIER, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at No.64 Quai National, Puteaux, France, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Starting Apparatus for Use with Internal-Combustion Engines and other Purposes, of which the following is a specification. V

This inventionhas for its object to provide an improved apparatus by means of which rotary'motion may be imparted to a shaft I and more particularly to the shaft of an internal combustion engine for the purpose of starting the said engine.

The improved apparatus comprises essentially a cylinder wherein pressure is produced which is used to push a. piston. This piston carries a pulleyon which a rope is wound that is attached at one end to a fixed point, and at its other end to an. opposing spring after a certain number of turns of the rope have been wound on a pulley which is connected to the shaft to be started.

The manner inwhich this invention is to be performed will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example two constructional forms of the improved apparatus of th-isinvention.

In these drawings: 7

' Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and, a plan of a first form of the improved-apparatus,- and 1 Fig. 3 isa' vertical cross section on the line I-IofFig.2..

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic front view of the pulley and rocking beam shown in Fig. 3.

Figslt, 5 and 6 are similar views of a second form of the improved apparatus; Fig. 6' bein a vertical cross section on the line n ii of Fig. 5. Referring first'to' Figs; 1 to 3, a shaft 1is fixed to the englne shaft, and upon this shaft 1 there is'riveted or otherwise suitably fixed a rockingbeam2 carrying at each end arranged-in such a manner that they are driven when the pulleyjiisrotated in the direction -of rotation of the engine to be started, whereas they slip idly when the pulley 4. is rotated inthe reverse direction. These pawls are acted .upon by springs that Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920. Application filed July 16, 1918. Serial No. 245,214. 7 I i trifugal force and the pawls are. released, whereupon the latter continue torevolve' out of frictional contact with the pulley.

'-The foregoing mechanismhas been de I tion of the springs is neutralized by cen- F scribed here owing to'its suitability for. use i with the improved apparatus, but .it is pedient.

A casing port for a cylinder 7, the emplacement for :which is indicated at 6. (Fig. 3).

. The cylinder 7 (Figs'l and 'Q) consists of certainamount of play in the cylinder 7. Thetube 8 terminates at one end in a tight end in a bracket 9 in which is journaled a Igrooved pulley 10. arranged in the axis of the cylinder. A flexible rope 11 passing over this pulley is attached at one end to a fixed point 12 of-the apparatus (Fig, 2).,The other end of the rope 11- passes inside the '65 merely an application of a well-known 16x 5' incloses the entire mechanism and constltutes at one point the bolted sup working piston (notishown) and at its other casing 5 to the pulley a on which it is wound.

The fixed point 12, the pulley '10 and the pulley et'are so arranged as to cause the two stretches of the rope 11 to run parallel with the axis of the cylinder 7. The result of this arrangement is that any. strain exerted-upon the rope by the piston willbe distributed. equally tothe two stretches, and therefore the piston, not having. to sustain any racking strain will not require exact guidance and it will have to overcome no other friction than that dueto its packing and the. friction of the pulley on its axle.

. Moreover, for av g ven length of strokeof the piston, the rope will travel through a V distance equal to double the said length, so:

that the bulk of the apparatus is reducedby half for a determined starting movement.

The foregoing arrangement constitutesla new application of a well known type of pulley tackle.

After the rope turns aroundthe pulley 4, the rope passes. to the outside of the casing 5 where it is led over apulley 14 and is attached to an opposing spring or tensioning device 13. Y

In the example shown the tensioning dellhas been wound few vice 13 consits of a rubber rope of the kind isattached atv its other end to a suitable bracket.

The pulleys 14c and 14: are provided for the purpose of reducing the bulk of the ap-. V

paratus.

in either case however the entire arrange nient should be such that the point of at tachment 15 of the rope 11 tothe tcusioning devicelf-S shall-not be able to pass a stop 16 .which may be constituted by leaving only a too narrow space between one of the guide pulleys and the cylinder. The rope must however be long enough to remain un-' strained when'the piston is at the end of its stroke and thetension'ing device is hearing against the stop. 7

' On the piston being started or moved, the pulley and consequently the engine to be started, will be moved only after the piston has travcl'ed through the distance necessary for tensioning the rope and after the tensioning device 13 has 7 been moved away from its stop so that the said device has caused a certain amount'of resistance to the "movement of the rope. By this meansthe starting Will'take place gradually, which is important when an explosively acting medi'um is employed for propelling the piston of the apparatus. This is one of thecharacteristic features of the inventiom'whereby a gradual starting is producedby a novel application of a known means.

It may'also happen that the engine when started, instead-of continuing its rotation in the normal direction, is thrown back violently in the reverse direction, for instance, by the action of a premature ignition, In such a casethe piston of the apparatus is moved back to the end of its stroke; by the engine but as at that-instant the stop 16 acts to limit the'returning movement of the-ten sioning device 13, the stretch 17 of the rope ll'swill not be strained and therefore no friction will be produced. Consequently the pulley 4 is'not held by the rope and it Y can revolve freely in either direction. The 1 startingapparatu's is thereforenot subjected to any strain beyond that for which it. has been designed. of the well known law of friction, the 'strength of the parts and more particularly 35 ofth'e attachment of the casing 5 .to'the'en-' gine need be calculated only for the starting strain, instead of for the much higher strain caused by the sudden reversing of the engine. iv f "Fig. 3 indicates the provision of hand gear 18 for actuating the starting apparatus for use when the available pressure in'the generators is exhausted. V v

. Figs. l, 5 and 6 illustrate'a constructional 66 form of the improved apparatus wherein '2. and 3.

By this novel application the provision'of pawls that are moved into and out of engagement by springs and cen-' trifugal action respectively, is dispensed with. 3 In other respects [the general arrangement ofthe apparatus is the'same'as 11i the constructional form first herein described. 19 is a pipe for conveying pres sure fluldfrom any sultable supply 1?",- to

a plunger 20 which works in a smallcylinder 20 and is pushed by the fluid (from the right toward the left hand of Fig. 6)., compressing. a spring 21, and in this movement pushesa square shaft 22. .T his shaft has on its end a claw clutch .member 23 which is thereby caused to engage the COHlPlGlHQHtRZY claw'clutchlmember 2 1 fixed on the c shaft to be started. .When the plunger '20 has been more-d back sufficiently to cause the-enga ment of V c I the clutch 23, 2 1-, it will then uncover an or1fice-25through whichthe pressure meinto-the cylinder, and acts upon the piston as those described with referenceito The actuation of the piston in said cylinder may be effected by the expansion of any suitable-pressure medium, for in stance, gas, but it is preferred to-use either compressed a1r because it is an easier'matter to change the compressedair generators, or to use liquid carbonic acid because the vessels containing the latter have. a very small Weight and bulk. 'Another. convenient method is to'utilize the deflagratio'n of a suitable gas because it is easy to: prepare beforehand cartridges of small-size for the purpose in view. r I

What I claim is the cylinder arranged to beworked'bypressure fluid, a pulley mounted on the piston 'diuni issuesandpasses through the pipe 26 H 1. A starting apparatus comprising inf 7 "combination a cyl1nder, 'a plston member in fixed partand afrope attached at one end to a fixed .partadjacent the cylinder and at the other end to the spring and adaptedto pass over the-pulley mounted on thepiston mem-' "her and around the other pulley for turning the engine shaft. r

I '2. A' starting apparatus as' clai'med in claim 1 and comprisingathird pulley, a bracket carrying this pulley and'fi'xed to the-' "end of'the cylinder away from the piston, a fourth pulley,-a second bracket carrying the fourth pulley and mounted upon the cylinder adjacent the other end" and a tension device passing around the fourth pulley and Wher'einthe ropepasses over theth'ird pulley "an'dis attached to the tension device, the otherend of the tension device being secured adj acent the third pulley.

3. A. starting apparatus as claimed inclaim 1, wherein a stop is provided limiting the return movement of the spring, the arrangement being such that the pulley for turning the engine and consequently the engine will be moved only after the piston has traveled through the distance necessary for tensioning the rope after the spring has moved away from its stop so that the said spring has caused a certain amount of resistance to the movement of the rope, Whereby the starting effect will take place gradually.

4. A starting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and comprising clutch members between the pulley for starting the engine and the engine shaft, a spring adapted to keep the clutch member out of engagement and means for causing the clutch member to engage as and when required consisting of a small cylinder having two orifices, a plunger working in the small cylinder, a conduit coupled with the source of supply of working fluid and adapted to connect with one of the orifices in the small cylinder, and another conduit communicating with the other of said orifices and with the cylinder in which the piston of the apparatus works, the arrangement being such that on fluid being admitted to the small cylinder the plunger causes the engagement of the clutch members while at the same time the plunger in its movement uncovers the orifice leading to the cylinder of the apparatus and supplies thereto the fluid for-working the piston.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ANTOINE ISIDORE onmn 

